Era of one-sided deals over: Ghalibaf to Trump as US strikes on Iran intensify

'The era of one-sided deals is OVER,' Iran’s Parliament Speaker and lead negotiator M.B. Ghalibaf has said in a post on X. 'We told you: keep your word or pay the price.'

Point 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum stipulates: 'Upon the signing of this MoU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa...'

Ghalibaf's post came hours after the US renewed its aggression against Iran. Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi also posted, 'Iran has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called U.S. Treasury Secretary who is violating Para 9 of the MoU. That violation follows other violations and missteps by the United States”.

Araghchi was responding to threats held out by US treasury secretary Scott Bessent. Since then, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has also jumped in to reinforce the rhetoric, promising that Iran would "pay the price".  

As reported earlier, there is a perceptible hardening of Iran’s stand on further negotiations with the US following Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s message that the death of martyrs would be avenged.

Ali Hashem, founder of the Al Jadah media outlet, was told by Iranian foreign ministry official Ali Safari, “The ball is now in the US court. Washington has failed to implement its commitments over the past several weeks. Article 5 is clear, responsibility for future arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz rests with Iran, in consultation with Oman and other states.”

The official went on to add, “The southern shipping route, created under US pressure, prevents implementation of the agreement and has created serious security risks, including the possibility of collisions. Sending ships through that route with navigation systems switched off is irresponsible... the US must choose, either honour what it signed 23 days ago, or walk away from its commitments.” 

Tehran believes, as reported by Dropsite News, that the White House is orchestrating a deliberate media disinformation campaign, including through Axios and CBS, to pressure Tehran into changing its position on control of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials rejected media reports that had stated that Iran was blaming a recent vessel attack on a rogue military faction or was preparing to announce new transit routes with Oman.

Brig-Gen. Akrami Nia, a spokesman of the Iranian armed forces, told IRNA that Tehran considers itself fully responsible for security in the strait and for the safe passage of oil tankers transiting the vital chokepoint. Asked about the US aggression overnight, the general said, “The Americans have intervened for the thousandth time. We never trust the Americans or [other] enemies.”

Tehran is also convinced that Israel is planning to assassinate or replace the US president and place the blame on Iran. This has followed reports in the US media that Israel had tipped off the White House about a possible assassination attempt on Trump. In an interview to Al Mayadeen, former FBI special agent Coleen Rowley said Trump’s standing in Israel has indeed dramatically declined after he appeared to distance himself from Tel Aviv over negotiations with Iran.

Rowley noted that Trump had long been celebrated as "Israel’s number one friend", receiving strong backing from pro-Israel figures such as Miriam Adelson after moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and advancing policies favoured by the occupation. However, she argued that Trump was forced to appear at odds with Netanyahu because "Israel does not want negotiations with Iran, but Americans do", suggesting that the shift highlights how quickly public opinion can change under media influence.